Delhi Town Hall

The Delhi Town Hall is a landmark building, at Chandni Chowk in Old Delhi. It was the seat of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) from 1866 during the British Raj till late 2009, when offices shifted to the new MCD Civic Centre on Minto Road in Central Delhi formally inaugurated in 2010.[1][2]

Delhi Town Hall at Chandni Chowk, with statue of Swami Shraddhanand in front

History

The construction of the building started in 1860 and was completed in 1863. It is constructed out of yellow-painted brick and stone and carved white stone trim. It was initially known as Lawrence Institute and housed Delhi College of Higher Studies before it was bought by the municipality for ₹135,457 (US$1,900) in 1866. Besides government offices, the building also had a library and a European club.[3]

Originally a bronze statue of Queen Victoria stood in front of the hall. After independence in 1947, it was replaced with a statue of the Arya Samaj leader Swami Shraddhanand. The original statue now stand in Delhi College of Art premises.[3][4]

The location is officially termed Ghantaghar after a clock tower that once stood here.

References
  1. "Delhi's iconic Town Hall now a picture of neglect". Daily Mail. 17 November 2013. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
  2. "Delhi gets its tallest building — Civic Centre". Indian Express. 23 April 2010. Retrieved 23 September 2013.
  3. Gaynor Barton and Laurraine Malone. Old Delhi 10 Easy Walks. Rupa Publications. p. 97. ISBN 978-8171670994.
  4. "Delhi's hall and arch of fame". The Hindu. 28 October 2002. Retrieved 12 December 2013.

Further reading

Media related to Delhi Town Hall at Wikimedia Commons


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